File this under "Be careful what you wish for."
Angst-ridden middleweight mauler Alan Belcher has been clamoring for a major step up in competition. Well Mr. Talent, I present you Demian Maia, currently offering his services at UFC Fight Night 22 on September 15.
MMA Fighting brings word that the two are in verbal agreement to hook 'em up later this year.
Belcher (16-6) was last seen using Patrick Cote's head to dig for gold inside the Octagon at UFC 113 earlier this month. It was his second straight win (and second straight finish) after beating the snot out of Wilson Gouveia at UFC 107 in December of last year.
The outspoken but hard-hitting "Talent" wants a middleweight title shot and it would be hard to argue against him if he can dispose of the Brazilian with little effort.
Maia (12-2) has been to the mountaintop but the Sherpa sent him sent tumbling back down it after a five round fiasco at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi. The loss to Anderson Silva was his second in three fights after stringing together ten straight wins.
He is undoubtedly one of the sport's most gifted grapplers, but his striking has yet to evolve to a higher level. To his credit, he showed a marked improvement in a unanimous decision win against Dan Miller at UFC 109, but there will be little margin for error against Johnny Cash's number one fan.
I believe this is referred to as the classic "Striker vs. Grappler."
Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more information on UFC Fight Night 22 as it becomes available.
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